Baylor's spring game has come and gone, which means the start of the 2014 college football season is far enough away to loathe the offseason, while being close enough for speculation to run amok.

When the Bears released their post-spring depth chart, there were a few surprises as well as some fulfilled expectations. With all of that in mind, here are the top-5 position battles that we foresee heading into the summer.

There are also a couple of considerations to consider with these lists.

1) Starters are noted in bold. If there is more than one bold name, that indicates that there is an either/or situation for the starter.

2) Keep in mind that head coach Art Briles has been notorious for staying faithful to his upperclassmen. Lache Seastrunk, who could be a top-tier NFL draft choice, didn't start for the first half of the season where he was eligible despite being twice as productive as a rusher. Jared Salubi started while Seastrunk came off the bench and was eventually benched. But it took time.

3) The 'best guess' is our choice of the starter at the beginning of the season barring any injury or late transfers into or out of the program.

Defensive tackle Candidates: Beau Blackshear, Javonte Magee, Byron Bonds This is by far Baylor's most talented and deepest position on the defensive side of the ball. Media members and coaches always like to say that having too many good players at one position is a good problem to have, but it is still a problem. Who gets the starting reps? How often do the players switch out?

Beau Blackshear started and played in 12 games last year at nose tackle. The depth chart now indicates that Andrew Billings, who is probably the team's strongest player, is the starter at nose tackle. So Blackshear could theoretically slide over one spot and be just as effective as he was a year ago - he recorded 33 total tackles a season ago.

Then you've got Javonte Magee, who missed last season entirely due to personal issues off the field. Like we've said in the past, Briles has to have extremely high faith when putting Magee as a possible starter after being away from the game for about a year. But if he's listed as a possible starter among the elite talent that Baylor has on the defensive line, that's saying something about his potential.

And then you've got Byron Bonds, the now-sophomore who stepped in and started seven games at defensive tackle as a freshman a year ago. His bowl game performance was a bit of a letdown from his production in the regular season, but his freshman year can largely be looked at as a success.

So Baylor has the experienced veteran (Blackshear), the untapped potential (Magee) and the up-and-coming young gun to choose from at defensive tackle. A good problem, indeed.

Best guess: Blackshear. He's a veteran and he's got the most game experience.

Wide receiver Candidates: Robbie Rhodes, Jay Lee Wide receiver is another good problem position for Baylor, much like at defensive end. Jay Lee and Robbie Rhodes mainly saw time on the field when Baylor was up by 50-plus points for the majority of last season, but they'll both be asked to possibly be a new starter.

If you're deciding who will start by the amount of hype surrounding them, you'd take Rhodes. He finished with a 15.7 yards per catch clip last year in a limited sample. Lee's two best games were against Kansas and Iowa State topping 55 yards in each game. He also was one of Baylor's few bright spots on offense in the bowl game against UCF with five catches for 80 yards.

Best guess: Lee. Rhodes does have some upside, but Lee performed well in the last game of the season. He's riding the hot hand into the offseason. He's also a very good blocker on the outside when Baylor throws their quick screens.

Left end Candidates: Jamal Palmer, Sam Ukwuachu Of all five of these positions in question, I think this is the safest bet by going based off tenure. Palmer was second on the team among defensive linemen in total tackles a season ago (38 total, only trailed Chris McAllister by two) and he didn't start a single game. He showed durability playing in all 13 games and he's key to stopping the run. So he's a safe bet to be starter for the beginning of the season.

Ukwauchu, who is coming off a season where he sat out to comply with NCAA transfer rules, hasn't played in a game in more than a year. But Baylor has had success with transfers in the past. Look at Shawn Oakman, the current starter at right end. He hadn't played a game in more than a year heading into last season and he was one of the top pass rushers in the Big 12.

Best guess: Ukwauchu could make a late push to become the starter if he performs well. Even if he has the stats and numbers to be the starter, I'm betting that Briles sticks with Palmer barring any injury.

Tight end Candidates: Tre'Von Armstead, Gus Penning, Jordan Feuerbacher Tight ends in Briles system never have the flashy stats. Jordan Najvar finished his Baylor career with just 35 receptions in three years. But catching passes wasn't his main job in the offense, and you wouldn't expect it to be with the amount of times that Baylor throws quick screens. Would you throw to a tight end with Antwan Goodley, Clay Fuller, Levi Norwood, Tevin Reese and loads of talented freshmen?

Blocking is high on the job description for Baylor tight ends. And all three of these guys have the size to block. It'll all come down to how they mesh with the current offensive line and how they develop from their coaching.

Tre'Von Armstead is the current elder statesman of the group, playing in all 13 games a year ago. Penning is the next closest with two.

Best guess: Armstead because of seniority.

Linebacker Candidates: Aiavion Edwards, Grant Campbell As of now, the depth chart has Bryce Hager as the starting middle linebacker, with Aiavion Edwards as the starting weak side linebacker. Grant Campbell is listed as Hager's backup and is coming into Baylor as a JUCO transfer.

Here's another 'we'll wait and see' situation, kind of like Ukwauchu's at defensive end. Edwards will probably get the starting nod since he played in 12 games a year ago. He knows Baylor's system and he's had some Big 12 experience, which drastically differs from the competition at the junior college level.

But given the lack of eligibility left for Campbell, who enters as a junior, defensive coordinator Phil Bennett is going to need to take advantage of the highly-touted transfer while he still can.

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